The betting week

Roger Federer to win his third consecutive Wimbledon men's singles at 4-6 with Hill's.

The Wimbledon champion may have been beaten by the brilliant Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals of the French Open but back on his favourite grass surface he cannot be opposed. The world No1 warmed up with his customary victory in Halle last weekend and, even below his very best, should claim the All England title for the third year running.

Nadal could be overpriced at 20-1 with Bet Direct but the biggest threat to Federer is likely to come from last year's runner-up Andy Roddick, who triumphed at Queen's last Sunday. Roddick is worth a saver at 5-1 with Coral, who are paying half the odds a place on the first two.

Lleyton Hewitt, a possible semi-final opponent for Federer, is trading at 14-1 with Paddy Power. And if you are looking for an outsider, the Croatian Mario Ancic, a semi-finalist 12 months ago, could go well at 20-1 with Coral.

Maria Sharapova is a best priced 3-1 with Hill's to retain the women's title but she could be worth opposing with Justine Henin-Hardenne, who was returning from a long illness when impressively regaining her French Open crown two weeks ago.

The No7 seed can be backed at 100-30 with Bet Direct compared to only 11-4 with the tennis specialists Stan James.

Kimi Raikkonen to win tomorrow's US grand prix at 11-8 with Blue Square plus Juan Pablo Montoya each way at 9-1 with Stanley, who are paying a fifth the odds a place on the first three.

We were right on the money in last weekend's Canadian grand prix where the victorious Kimi Raikkonen was tipped at 13-8 and our 7-1 each-way saver Michael Schumacher finished second. Schumacher was a top-priced 6-1 yesterday with Ladbrokes to record what would be his third successive victory at Indianapolis but the Ferrari team benefited more than most from others' misfortunes in Montreal and may need similar luck to reach the podium tomorrow.

Raikkonen, second at the Brickyard in 2003, also had his share of good fortune in Canada but, after that win, he has a much better qualifying draw today than last Saturday and, with the most powerful car, he should again be the man to beat.

McLaren could easily have finished first and second in Montreal had Juan Pablo Montoya not been disqualified. It wasn't Montoya's first unforced error this season and he's unlikely to be on the front row of the grid this weekend, but the former Indie 500 winner has terrific pace and may justify each-way support.

The All Blacks to win the Test series against the British and Irish Lions by a 3-0 margin at 5-4 with VC Bet.

The Lions have a lot of talented players but, at this stage, it's difficult to envisage them having the strength and coherence as a team to overcome the All Blacks.

Last Saturday's 19-13 defeat by the Maori XV was a serious blow to the Lions' morale, especially coming the day after New Zealand crushed Fiji 91-0 in their warm-up game.

In the absence of a talismanic figure like Martin Johnson or Lawrence Dallaglio to spearhead their defence, the Lions could be overwhelmed. Points should come from Jonny Wilkinson's boot but his New Zealand counterpart Daniel Carter has the talent to match anything Wilkinson achieves.

Bet Direct have priced up New Zealand at 1-3 to win next Saturday's first Test while Sporting Odds were offering the All Blacks at 5-6 conceding an eight-point start. The All Blacks should beat that kind of handicap but punters who shop around next Friday may be able to support them to cover a smaller line.

Spreadbet

Sporting are running their usual market on tomorrow's US grand prix with a points scale ranging from 60 to the winner and 40 to the runner-up down to five for eighth place. Kimi Raikkonen is trading at 32-35, meaning buyers will make at least a five-point gain if he finishes no worse than second. Juan Pablo Montoya is worth a small buy at 21. Last week's tip to buy Michael Schumacher at 25 in Montreal resulted in a 15-point profit.

Futures

Lance Armstrong can be backed at 5-4 with VC Bet, compared to odds-on elsewhere, to win an unprecedented seventh straight Tour de France which begins on July 2. Armstrong has not won a race this year, though he finished fourth in the Dauphiné Libéré last weekend. If Armstrong is a spent force Jan Ullrich or Ivan Basso should be the men to profit at 3-1 and 13-2 respectively with Sporting Odds.